Bioiberica’s DAOgest paves the way for new solutions in histamine intolerance, study reveals

18 Jan 2024 --- Bioiberica unveils promising results for its diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme offering, DAOgest, from a recent observational study in digestive health. The findings, first presented at last year’s ESPEN Congress on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, highlight the effectiveness of DAOgest in combating histamine intolerance (HIT).

HIT, a condition characterized by allergy-like symptoms, affects a significant portion of the population. The study, published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, involved 82 individuals with HIT and focused on assessing the impact of DAOgest over a period of four weeks.

“Histamine intolerance continues to be a prevalent yet largely unaddressed digestive health issue — and we’re committed to advancing research in the field for this very reason,” states Andrea Terradillos, the company’s R&D project manager.

“The decision to conduct an observational study was driven by the complex nature of identifying individuals with the condition and the scarcity of robust studies examining the real-world effects of histamine intolerance solutions.”

Understanding the problem
According to the study’s authors, DAO is a key enzyme in the process of breaking down histamine in the gut. When a person is DAO enzyme deficient, it leads to HIT, marked by allergy-like symptoms, such as runny or stuffy nose, shortness of breath or dyspnea, itching, and rash or hives, to name a few.

Bioiberica emphasizes that the primary purpose of the observational study was to show that taking DAO supplements, like DAOgest, orally can alleviate allergic-like symptoms in patients with HIT.

Participants received a daily dose of the supplement Histamine Digest, which contains 4.2 mg of DAOgest, enriched with vitamin C and catalase, before their main meal. The study also used a standardized questionnaire to measure the severity of HIT symptoms both at a baseline recorded at the study’s onset and weekly throughout the study.

Hitting back at HIT
The results reveal that within the first week of DAOgest supplementation, participants reported dramatic improvements across several symptom categories.

Gastrointestinal and skin-related effects saw over a 90% improvement, while nervous and respiratory symptoms improved by more than 80% and circulatory symptoms showed a notable reduction of up to 38%.

Moreover, the company notes that these positive changes were not fleeting but remained consistent throughout the study period, underscoring DAOgest’s sustained efficacy.

“Our advice for formulators in the space is to pair DAOgest with vitamin C as it boosts the histamine-degrading capacity of DAO and consequent histamine breakdown,” Terradillos stresses. “In a separate investigation, we’ve provided evidence that this combination exhibits higher enzymatic activity compared to other commercially available DAO products.”

The company further spotlights that in a significant stride for the product’s accessibility, the European Commission recently granted Novel Food Status to DAOgest.

It adds that this milestone decision opens doors for DAOgest’s commercial use across Europe, enabling formulators to create cutting-edge, next-gen food supplement solutions targeting HIT.

For more in-depth coverage on the subject, look for our upcoming NutriPod episode with Bioiberica.

By William Bradford Nichols

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